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Children from disadvantaged families have lower
levels of school readiness when they enter school than do children from more
advantaged families. Many countries have tried to reduce this inequality
through publicly provided preschool. Evidence on the potential of these
programs to reduce inequality in child development is now quite strong.
Long-term studies of large publicly funded programs in Europe and Latin
America, and newer studies on state and local prekindergarten programs
implemented more recently in the US, find that the programs do improve
outcomes for young children, particularly for those from disadvantaged
families.